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Smiley, Jane (author).

As in adult titles such as Horse Heaven (2000), Pulitzer Prize–winning author Smiley draws on her personal passion for horses in this quiet, psychologically attuned youth debut set in 1960s rural California. “The best thing that can happen to you in seventh grade, really, is that you float from one classroom to another like a ghost or a spirit, undetected,” says Abby, a loner who dreads dealing with her school’s ruling mean-girl clique. She finds blissful escape working on her family’s ranch, but she tangles with her stern, born-again Christian father over how best to treat and train their horses. While studying horse behavior, she gains insight into humans that helps her gradually discover the strength of her own voice. Smiley builds tension slowly, and some readers will skip over the extraordinarily detailed passages about tack (illustrated in sporadic, charming ink drawings), care, and riding. Serious horse fans, though, will be enthralled, and Abby’s gentle, emotionally nuanced conflicts, both at school and at home, will reward a general audience of patient readers.